Session 31 - The Hunt is on for the Second Orb - Report

General Summary

The Gang sets out to find the second of the three Demonic Orbs in the hopes of gaining any kind of advantage against the impending demon incursion.   *** Date: 10-13-283 Quickly leaving the scene of their recent murder, Tally and Gaidaros are stopped by the pursuing Madame Alecstraza, who quickly discerns that Gaidaros is a fledgling God, and tells them she has a proposition for them. They schedule a meeting the following morning, thereby ensuring that the Madame has time to first clean the blood off her floor.   Wandering through town, Naemaris is met by a severely inebriated High Elf outside the Crooked Cloak. This Elf manages to convey that he is a curator for a private collector back in Waterdeep... a collector that would like his stolen Magical Collapsing Drumset back. Naemaris decides to do what any smart creature would do after being called out for stealing: run away. The curator gave chase, but in his drunken state was unable to catch Naemaris, instead catching the ground with his face.   *** Date: 10-14-283 After a good night's sleep back in their home town, The Gang wakes up refreshed and ready to take on a new day! Linda headed to the Crooked Cloak to retrieve her 4 remaining children. Upon entering, Chen politely informed her that he was the owner of a tavern... not a babysitter. Linda happily payed him more than he demanded (but only after a bit of haggling), and joined her two children at a nearby table. Inquiring into the whereabouts of the other two, Izel told her that Itet and Delnis had left, most likely headed back home to the desert.   Tally, retroactively remembering that he was unable to steal Linda's Necklace of Wound Healing because she didn't actually have it since it was given to Izel a few days prior... headed toward Linda and Naemaris's home. Arriving to see Linda, Naemaris, and the two children standing outside, Tally quickly decided to throw a dagger into Izel's chest (knowing damn well that he wouldn't die thanks to the necklace). Hoping to calm the badly wounded child, Linda healed Izel and then gave him 20 gold pieces to "buy anything you want".   Meanwhile, Alexander went shopping for some suspiciously common and seemingly useless items, and Lyra tried to find anything she could do to help around the Mage's Academy or the city in general (finding nothing to do as usual).   Eager for more destruction, and with their shopping done, the Gang decided to head back to the forest to search for the second orb. Tally, being the smallest and physically slowest member of the group, naturally got to the stables first and once again commandeered Yoncé. The rest of the Gang followed close by on horseback. Leaving their mounts at the edge of the forest, the Gang proceeds toward Silmaniir to get some information from Sorend. He informs them that the orb is in Mythrenluna, and he will give it to them after they seek out the village elders and help them with whatever they need. The 3 elders then sent the group on seemingly meaningless fetch quests for tree bark, mushrooms, and Plesiosaur fins and teeth (for children's toys, cough medicine, soup ingredients, and training knives for aspiring cooks, respectively).   Finding the tree bark without much difficulty, the Gang collected as much as their arms could hold, and asked for the Bag of Holding. Quickly realizing that nobody knew where it was, all eyes were on Tally... the party's thief... how strange. Tally insisted that he was innocent, but Lyra was having none of his bullshit. Alexander, being the only one to actually see that Tally actually did have the bag, said nothing, as any good spy would. A brief and one-sided fight broke out as Lyra fired off a volley of arrows at Tally, and Tally slipped away into the shadows. Realizing it would be pointless to try and find the 3 foot tall gnome rogue, the Gang decided to continue on with their fetch quests... Tally trailing close by in the shadows.   After a frustrating return of the bag to the group proper, and a brief fight with a Plesiosaurus (after rigging up a makeshift fishing line for Aukan to pull the dinosaur onto the shore, the Gang headed back to the Elven city to hand over their spoils. Upon arriving, the Gang found the city nearly empty, save Sorend and the Elders - and a strange fox-like creature - awaiting their return. Sorend informed the Gang that the materials were actually for a ritual to summon a guardian to protect the forest (though they could also be used for the other mundane purposes so they would gladly accept the many extra bundles of each).   Now in a small clearing outside the city, the ritual began... inevitably attracting some powerful creatures, as most strong magic does. Seeing several draconic heads poking through the trees, the Gang realized that they were going to have to keep a 5 headed hydra from interrupting the ritual. After burning several heads, and the fight winding down, a large tentacled creature pulled its way into the clearing as well. After finishing off the last two heads of the hydra, the Gang made its way to fight the new behemoth frog-like creature. The fox creature, Moriko, who had been overseeing the ritual, decided to try and help fend off this froghemoth. She was quickly swallowed. Alexander, being a military trained spy, used to battle and thinking quickly on his feet, was also quickly swallowed. Linda, meanwhile, decided to try to ride the giant amphibian, clawing her way up its back and throwing her through the creature's mouth in an attempt to control its direction, in much the same way one would with a horse and bridle. The frog immediately bit through her leather whip, rendering it useless, much like her attempt to turn a froghemoth into her personal mount.   After a bit more hacking and slashing, as well as some continual healing by Moriko while inside the throat of the frog, the Gang put down the second creature, just in time to feel the ground begin to rumble, and see an enormous construct begin to rise up out of the Earth.   The Sentinel of the Forest.